Lila stirred as the first hints of dawn brushed the horizon, but the world around her had already shifted. Strong, cool arms cradled her against a hard chest. She blinked, disoriented, her body sore and marked with faint bruises and the lingering sting of fang marks. Damien’s eyes met hers in the dim light of her apartment, glowing with that same hypnotic intensity.
“You slept only a moment, my love,” he murmured, voice like shadowed silk. “But the night still belongs to us. I will not let the sun steal you away.”
Before she could fully wake, he swept her up, wrapping her in a dark cloak. The world blurred and suddenly they were no longer in her modest apartment. Cool marble floors replaced worn carpet.
Damien’s mansion was on the outskirts of the city, an estate hidden behind iron gate
